CAD software applications provide users with the capability to create and edit geometry, models and drawings using actions or commands. Typical CAD software applications are AutoCAD, Inventor, Solidworks, Spaceclaim, BricsCAD, etc.
Historically, these actions were launched from menus and toolbar buttons or command prompts which were placed at static locations on the screen. As a result, these actions were not always handy, i.e. near the present location of the cursor.
Furthermore a set of tools can be provided into a ‘context menu’, that pops up near the cursor thereby reducing the time taken to access the commands. This context menu typically can be invoked either by explicit user action like a right click, or by the software calculating if there is an entity of interest under the cursor and automatically invoking it.
Problem with these methods is that too often a user needs to explicitly designate the user action or operation which the user wants to execute. Often the user needs to switch between the same basic operations, which increases designing time.
There is a need for a CAD model manipulating method which provides a basic manipulation operation for entities, which provides and executes more relevant user actions, which increases productivity by reducing time for a user to manipulate entities of a CAD model.